Automatic railroad-switch



(No Model.)

.A. GROSSMAN.

AUTOMATIC: RAILROAD SWITCH.

No. 593,650. Patented Novu 16,1897.

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lUNITED STATES PATENT GFFICE.

i vADOLPIIE GROSSMAN,OF NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA.

AUTOMATIC RAILROAD-SWITCH.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 593,650, dateduNovember 1,6, 1897. Application led September 7, 1897. Serial No. 650,787. (No model.)

To all whom, t may concern:

Be it known that I, ADOLPHE GRossMAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at New Orleans, in the parish of Orleans and State of Louisiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Railroad- Switches; and'I'do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use thesame.

My invention relates Vto improvements' in automatic railroad-switches, and its novelty and many advantages will be fullyunderstood from the following description andA Fig. '7 is a perspective view of a modified formA of car device.

Referring by letter to said drawings, and more particularly to Figs. l to 6 thereof, A designates the main-track rails, and B designates the siding or turnout rails of a railway, the same being arranged upon and connected to sleepers or ties a in the ordinaryor any approved manner.

C designates the movable switch rail or point, which is pivoted at b and has its heel `arranged adjacent to the end of 4one of the main-track rails, as shown. This switchpoint C is preferably flanged, as indicated by c, and provided with a depending stud d,4

(see Fig. 2,) and it is disposed above a metallic plate D, which is iiXed to the sleepers or ties by any suitable means. The said plate D is provided in its edge adjacent to the rails with a notch e for the reception and play of the stud cl, so as not to interfere with the movements of the switch-point, and it is also.

provided at its opposite edge with a depending and apertured lug f for a purpose presently described.

E designates an upright lever which is preferably fulcrumed at an intermediate point of its length on a lug connected to the outer turnout-rail and is providedat its upper end with an antifriction-wheel g, and F designates a rod which is pivotally connected to the lower Aend of the lever E, andl is also connected at an intermediate point of Vits length'to the depending stud dof the Switchpoint, as shown. Thisrod F hasl its free end reduced, as indicated by h, and passed loosely through -the aperture of the lug f, and it is provided on the said reduced portion with a coiled spring t, which is interposed between its shoulder j and the lug f, as shown, so as to normally hold the switch-point against the adjacent rail or in a position to prevent a car from go- .ing into the siding.

In virtue of the construction thus far described it will be observed that when the lever E is moved in the direction indicated by arrow (see Fig. 2) the switch-point C will be moved against the action of the spring z' away fromV the adjacent rail, so as to guide a car from the main-track rails into the siding or turnout rails, and when the said lever E is released or pressure against the same is removed the spring t will return the parts to and hold them'in the position shown in Fig. 2, so as to close the siding or turnout, as shown in said figures. It will. also be 0bserved that the rod F and the spring 1I are covered and protected from injury and also from the weather by the cover-plateD, and that said plate also serves to prevent snow or ice from lockingand interfering with the operation of the said parts.'

G designates a car which may be driven by any suitable power, and H designates my improved car device for enabling the motorman or car-driver to open the switch and guide the car upon the siding or turnout rails without the necessity of stopping the car. This device H in preference is arranged upon the platform 7o of the car, and itcomprises the guiderods l, depending from 'said platform, the shoe m, which is movable vertically` on said rods and has the cam edge n, designed to engage the wheel g of the lever'E, the plunger-rod p, which is connected to the camshoe rml and extends loosely through the platform la and is provided with a head or en largement q, as shown, the coiled spring r, which is interposed between the head q and IOO the platform and is designed to return the cam-shoe to and hold it in the position shown in Figs. l and 2, and the sleeve s, which surrounds the rod p and is interposed between the shoe fm and the platform and has for its function to limit the upward movement of the shoe. These parts are so arranged and constructed that when the plunger p is depressed to the fullest extent by the foot of the motorman the shoe m will rest in the same horizontal plane as the antifrictionwheel g of the switch-lever E. Consequently it will be observed that when the shoe m of a car traveling in the direction indicated by arrow in Fig. l is depressed and reaches the lever E its cam edge n, engaging the wheel g of the brake-lever, forces said lever in the direction indicated by arrow in Fig. 2 and thereby moves the switch-point away from the adjacent rail and holds it in such position until the front wheel of the car reaches aposition between said switch-point and rail. The switch-point C is of such a length that the front wheel of the car will hold it away from the adjacent rail u'ntil lthe rear wheel enters between said point and rail, and consequently it will be observed that the car will be guided onto the siding or turnout rails, after which the switch is closed by the action of the spring t'.

If it is desired to have the ear traveling on the main track in the direction indicated by arrow in Fig. 1 continue upon the main track, the operator lets the shoe of the car device remain in its normal position, when it will pass over and clear the lever E.

Vhen it is desired for the car to always pass from the main-track rails into the siding or turnout, the said car lnay be, and preferably is, equipped with the cam-shoe m', which is fxedly connected to the car-platform and is designed to operate in the same manner as the adjustable shoe m when the latter is in its depressed position.

It will be appreciated from the foregoing that the track device and car device comprised in my improvements, while very cheap and simple, enable the motorman to open the switch and guide the car from the maintrack rails into the siding or turnout while the car is traveling at an ordinary rate of speed. It will also be appreciated that in virtue of the construction of the track device and car device they are highly reliable in operation, and in consequence when the car device is properly adj usted the car will always be guided from the main track into the sidin g or turnout.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is- I. In au automatic switch, t-he combination of main -track rails, siding or turnout rails, the fixed cover-plate having the notch in one of its edges and the apertured lug depending from its opposite edge, the pivoted switchpoint disposed above the cover-plate and having the depending stud arranged in the notch of said plate, the slidable rod disposed below the cover-plate and connected to the depending stud of the switch-point and extending loosely through the lug of the said plate7 a coiled spring surroundin g said rod and interposed between the lug and an enlargement of the rod, the upright lever fulcrumed at an intermediate point of its length and having its lower end connected with the slidable rod and its upper end provided with the antifriction-wheel, a car, and a cam-shoe connected with the car and adapted to engage the antifriction-wheel of the switch-lever, substantially as specified.

2. In an automatic switch, the combination of main-track rails, siding or turnout rails, a movable switch-point, an upright lever fulcrumed at an intermediate point of its length and having its lower end connected with the switch-point and its upper end provided with an antifriction-wheel, a ear, and a cam-shoe connected with the car and adapted to engage the antifriction-wheel of the switch-lever, substantially as specified.

3. The combination of a car, guide-rods connected to and depending from the body of the car, a shoe loosely mounted on said guide-rods, a plunger connected to the shoe and extending through a guide in the car-body and having an enlargement above said body, a coiled spring surrounding the said rod and interposed between the enlargement thereof and the car-body, and a sleeve also surrounding the plunger-rod and interposed between the shoe and the car-body, substantially as specilied.

In testimony whereof I alli); my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ADOLPI'IE GROSSMAN.

Witnesses:

Jos. LAUTENSCHLAEGER, B. R. FORMAN.

IOO 

